A prominent Baloch activist has vehemently contested Pakistan's claims of military triumph in Balochistan, accusing the state of concealing a protracted insurgency while resorting to the abduction of civilians. Hakeem Baloch, who serves as the Focal Person for the Foreign Department of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), rejected Islamabad's assertion that recent coordinated operations had eliminated over 140 militants.

He argued that these operations have neither diminished the war's ferocity nor stemmed from robust intelligence. "Pakistan is neither able to stop the intensity of the war in Balochistan nor does it have effective intelligence," Hakeem Baloch stated in an interview with ANI from London on 3 February 2026.

Baloch fighters, he explained, continue to infiltrate, execute precise strikes, accomplish their goals, and withdraw unscathed. In response, Pakistani forces target unarmed civilians, political activists, human rights defenders, and even family members of Baloch leaders through enforced disappearances—a tactic Hakeem described as collective punishment.

This pattern aligns with a long history of grievances in Balochistan, Pakistan's vast yet underdeveloped province rich in natural gas, minerals, and Gwadar port's strategic maritime access. Local communities lament that they reap scant benefits from these resources, which primarily enrich Islamabad and foreign partners under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Pakistan's insistence on a security-centric approach has only deepened alienation. Human rights organisations have catalogued hundreds of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and brutal suppressions of non-violent protests, fostering a pervasive atmosphere of dread among the populace.

Hakeem Baloch emphasised that Islamabad's refusal to pursue political dialogue leaves armed resistance as the sole recourse for separatists. "The Pakistani state neither understands political dialogue nor wants to resolve what is fundamentally a political issue through political means," he asserted.

Recent ANI reports underscore this grim reality. Just weeks ago, Baloch voices highlighted the abduction of over eight to ten women and girls in the past year, including a 15-year-old and an eight-month pregnant woman, signalling a targeting of vulnerable groups.

The enforced disappearance of activist Rashid Hussain, now seven years unresolved, has spurred renewed calls for accountability from families, human rights bodies, and the BNM. Similarly, the abduction of Shafiq Zehri, father of activist Mahzaib Shafiq, exemplifies the state's strategy of punishing entire families.

Baloch leader Mehran Marri has branded these actions as "genocide at full escalation," citing rampant disappearances, killings, and detentions. On Baloch Martyrs' Day, activist Sammi Deen Baloch evoked the unyielding pain and defiance of her people amid state repression.

Commemorations for figures like Shaheed Banuk Karima Baloch, planned by the BNM, reflect the movement's resilience, with seminars featuring activists, intellectuals, and companions to honour her legacy of struggle.

Pakistan's amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) have drawn sharp criticism. Mahrang Baloch condemned them as mechanisms to muzzle dissent, noting their use against disabled individuals and ordinary citizens protesting disappearances.

Activists, including relatives of the missing, face inclusion on the ATA's Fourth Schedule, curtailing their freedoms. Sammi Deen Baloch marked the ninth anniversary of student leader Shabir Baloch's vanishing by decrying the state's blindness in quelling political voices.

Courts, burdened with unresolved cases of missing Baloch and Pashtuns despite protection orders, have become battlegrounds for the movement. "Our struggle began on the streets and has now entered the courts," Mahrang Baloch noted, crediting the people's strength.

Independent monitors warn that this militarised response exacerbates the cycle of violence, alienating a population already marginalised by economic neglect and cultural erasure. Baloch groups frame their fight as defensive against existential threats.

As operations falter and disappearances mount, the conflict shows no signs of abating. Hakeem Baloch's challenge lays bare a deepening chasm, where Pakistan's narrative of control crumbles under the weight of unaddressed political demands.

Based On ANI Report